Plastic waste is a significant environmental and ecological problem that requires urgent action. Indeed, plastic waste pollutes our oceans, rivers, and lakes, harming aquatic life and marine ecosystems. Plastic debris also poses a threat to terrestrial wildlife, as animals can mistake plastic for food or become entangled in it, leading to injury or death. In addition, plastic production requires fossil fuels, leading to greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. That is why recycling plastic waste is an important step towards reducing the environmental impact of plastic and creating a more sustainable future. The present work is part of this approach, and it aims to investigate the effects of the size of the plastic fibers and their percentages on the performances of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) in road pavement. Marshall Tests were carried out on the reference asphalt (without adding plastic) and the asphalt containing plastic waste in order to highlight the effect of these additives on the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures. It has been found that the addition of PET plastic waste considerably improves the mechanical properties of the HMA. The findings revealed that additives composed of plastic fibres of size ranging between 0.125 and 1.25 mm give the best results in terms of Marshall’s Stability and Flow, by acting as reinforcement to the bitumen-aggregate mixtures. Furthermore, the optimum plastic content was found to be about 3.75% by weight of bitumen. It can be noted that the proposed solution fits very well with sustainable development.

Modern-day is defined as a period of globalization, a complex construct that can pose a threat to maintaining the uniqueness of a place and creating a distinctive city identity. The hypothesis of this paper is that, while the phenomenon of globalization is researched within different disciplines, a common interdisciplinary theme stands out - the experience and perception of urban space that further builds a unique impression of the observed scene. The assumption will be investigated through the formation of a qualitative model for examining the urban potential with the aim of affirming the visual quality of the place as an important factor in the construction of local identity. The established model is examined through case studies of the 20th-century heritage. This period was chosen because it represents the subject of a contemporary global discussion about the conservation, activation and use of heritage in urban structures. The premise is that the qualitative model can be adequately applied to architecture from this period and contribute to its visibility and understanding, as well as to the examination of its role in the creation of contemporary local identity. The research is significant because it enables an interdisciplinary consideration of heritage as a key factor in building the modern city identity based on its visual impression.

The study demonstrates that the representative volume of standard cylindrical samples of rocks, concrete and asphalt represents a continuum from which samples are extracted or structures will be built. The rheological-dynamical analogy (RDA) is used as evidence, along with standard experimental data from the samples and the velocities of P and S waves obtained through ultrasonic testing. Unlike all previously existing theories of multiphase materials, the RDA theory uniformly describes the solid state and fluid flow within the representative volume. The solid state and fluid flow are functionally connected by rheological parameters. Plastic viscosity coefficients describe (memorize) the matter in fluid flow at the moment of its natural formation or artificial preparation.